Month: June 2021

Development Company Plans To Construct Two Industrial/Warehouse Units In Halfmoon

June 17, 2021

This is a rendering of the larger of two warehouse buildings McRoberts Development LLC plans to build in Halfmoon. It will be 50,000 square feet.

By Christine Graf

McRoberts Development LLC President Mark McRoberts is moving forward with plans to construct two buildings on a 6.4-acre parcel of land located at 11 Liebich Lane in Halfmoon.

The estimated cost of the project is more than $5 million.

“It will be my first major development project,” said McRoberts who is also president of Gridworks by McRoberts.

Gridworks is an interior commercial contractor business that specializes in metal framing, drywall, taping, insulation, and acoustical ceilings.

McRoberts started the company in 1992 shortly after graduating from University of Arizona. He learned the trade by working alongside his father, a master carpenter who specialized in acoustical ceilings. His father, Richard, had a long career at Davis Acoustical in Troy.

Plans for a 50,000-square-foot industrial/warehouse facility and a 10,000-square-foot industrial/warehouse facility were submitted to the town engineer at the beginning of June.

“We’re waiting for comments and then it will go in front of the Planning Board for approval,” said McRoberts, noting that he hopes to break ground in mid-July.

Environmental Design Partnership LLP of Clifton Park is the consulting engineer for the project. McRoberts will assume general contractor responsibilities.

Electricians In Region Say Work Is Plentiful, But Finding People For Jobs Is A Problem

June 17, 2021

Electricians in the area have plenty of work, says, one in the industry.

By Jill Nagy

Area businesses are taking different approaches to deal with a shortage of skilled workers in the building trades.

Jim Curran Electric in Saratoga Springs is a situation where the owner was rescued by a son who, seeing his father “overwhelmed,” relocated from Virginia to join the company.

Mr. Electric of Queensbury runs ads year round on several online help wanted sites. Eastern Heating and Cooling has a well-established apprenticeship program in order to “grow our own.”

Electricians are busy. “There is an avalanche of work,” according to Fred Giardinelli of Eastern Heating and Cooling. “Nine out of ten companies will give you the same answer: it’s “almost impossible” to find qualified people.

Curran reported that he is “too busy to train somebody in the proper way.” Mr. Electric also is “extremely busy.”

Curran, for his part, has soured on the idea of trying to hire and train new people.

“I used to try to hire people,” he said, “but they were not skilled enough.”

People hired as apprentices often did not show up. At the other end of the spectrum, “if they get too trained, they go out on their own.”

Ashley Cirelli Thrives After Changing Her Career Path And Joining Plumbers Union

June 17, 2021

By Christine Graf

Queensbury native Ashley Cirelli was working in the restaurant industry before joining the apprentice program at UA Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 773 in 2015. She is one of more than 450 members of the Queensbury-based union.

“I was working in the restaurant business, but there was no stability. You can make great money, but there’s no retirement or health insurance unless you get it on your own,” said Cirelli whose family has owned several local restaurants including Cirelli’s Jam ‘n Eggs in South Glens Falls.

After learning about the excellent pay and benefit packages available to union apprentices, she decided to apply to the electrician apprentice program at UA Local 236 in Albany. Her plans changed after a chance meeting with Larry Bulman, director of legislative and political affairs for the United Association of Plumbers and Steamfitters, that took place at her parents’ restaurant.

After he told her about the career opportunities available to her as an apprentice at Local 773, she applied and was accepted into the program. In August 2015, she started working at GlobalFoundries as a union apprentice. For her, the job was a perfect fit.

“I’ve been very hands-on my entire life. I helped my dad fix cars when I was young, and I used to build computers” she said. “I always wanted to do something in the trades and almost got into the military. But in high school, I was always told you need to go to college no matter what.”

Cirelli did attend college for 18 months after graduating from high school in 2007. She took business management and marketing classes at SUNY Adirondack but never completed her degree.

Founder Of ‘Chimney Heroes’ Takes Business From Small Operation To Thriving Company

June 17, 2021

Chimney Heroes, founded by Jamie Wallace, far left, does business from Warrensburg to Albany. The number of staff and range of services has grown steadily since 2010.
©2021 SaratogaPhotographer.com

By Christine Graf

After graduating from University of Albany in 2005 with a degree in business administration, Waterford-native Jamie Wallace applied for a summer youth intern position at Grace Chapel in Jonesville.

“I thought it would be a fun way to spend my summer before I looked for a full-time career after college,” said Wallace.

He enjoyed the job so much that he applied for a permanent position as the church’s youth pastor. Despite his lack of experience in ministry, he was hired with the condition that he agree to be mentored. At the time, he was working on Saturday’s for Clifton Park Chimney Maintenance, a company owned by Andy and Jill Looker. Wallace took the job to earn extra money to supplement his youth pastor’s salary.

“I did not even know chimney sweeps existed, so it was very new to me. But I really enjoyed it,” he said.

A year later, with encouragement from the Looker’s, Wallace left his job and started his own chimney sweep business.

“I decided to take a big leap of faith,” said Wallace. “A lot of people said I was crazy, but I went out on my own. My goal was to use the biblical principles I had learned and apply them to the business. And I was right.”

Hudson Headwaters Health Network’s New Mobile Health Center Ready To Hit The Road

June 17, 2021

This is Hudson Headwater’s mobile health center that will bring primary care services to Warren and Washington counties, beginning in Salem.
Courtesy Hudson Headwaters

Hudson Headwaters Health Network has established a mobile health program that started in June.

Hudson Headwaters Mobile Health’s newly purchased mobile health center will bring primary care services to Warren and Washington counties, beginning in Salem.

A second mobile health center, anticipated to arrive in 2022, will serve the central and northern Adirondacks, agency officials said.

According to Hudson Headwaters CEO Dr. Tucker Slingerland, mobile health is the network’s latest mission-driven initiative to expand its access to care.

“It is very fitting that, at the beginning of Hudson Headwaters’ 40th year, we move forward with this innovative care delivery model,” he said. “The same high-quality care that communities have come to expect at our health centers is now on wheels.”

The mobile health center is a highly customized, 40-foot RV-like vehicle equipped as a primary care medical office and certified as such by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration. It offers two fully equipped examination rooms, a registration area, point-of-care testing area, a lab draw station and bathroom.

CDPHP Building ‘Reinvents The Patient Experience’ With Fireplaces, Natural Light

June 17, 2021

This new CDPHP facility in Clifton Park has patient comfort in mind with an open floor plan with natural sunlight, fireplaces with modern furniture and even a cafe.
©2021 SaratogaPhotographer.com

By Jennifer Farnsworth

CDPHP has opened a new health care facility. Health care agencies have been adding offices in communities through the region in recent years. This one, at 1785 Route 9 facility in Clifton Park, is a bit different, CDPHP says.

“We truly are reinventing the patient experience within this building,” said Senior Vice President of Business Development Lisa Sasko.

The 40,000-square-foots facility is “vastly different from other locations in our market area,” according to Sasko. She said the building was designed with wellness in mind for patients, physicians and staff.

“We pulled elements from the hospitality industry and put a deep focus on customer service and healing. We intend to delight customers and provide easy access to personalized care, and we want employees and physicians to love coming to work here,” she said.

The building has an open floor plan with natural sunlight, fireplaces with modern furniture as well as a cafe. There is a privacy room for nursing parents, electric vehicle charging stations in the parking lot and a children’s area.

There are currently five specialty practices operating out of the 1785 building including Albany ENT & Allergy Associates, Capital Cardiology Associates, Albany Gastroenterology Consultants, New York Nephrology and Fresenius Kidney Care.

Business Report: Even ‘Singles’ Need Estate Plans

June 17, 2021

Robert Snell, financial adviser with Edward Jones Financial in Saratoga Springs.

By Robert Snell

If you don’t have a spouse or children, you might think you don’t need to do much estate planning. But if you have any assets, any familial connections, any interest in supporting charitable groups—not to mention a desire to control your own future—you do need to establish an estate plan.

In evaluating your needs for this type of planning, let’s start with what might happen if you die intestate—that is, without a last will and testament. In this scenario, your assets will likely have to go through the probate process, which means they’ll be distributed by the court according to your state’s intestate succession laws, essentially without regard to your wishes.

Even if you don’t have children yourself, you may have nephews or nieces, or even children of cousins or friends, to whom you would like to leave some of your assets, which can include not just money but also cars, collectibles, family memorabilia and so on. But if everything you own goes through probate, there’s no guarantee that these individuals will end up with what you wanted them to have.

If you want to leave something to family members or close friends, you will need to indicate this in your last will and testament or other estate planning documents.

Business Report: Everyday ABCs Of Leadership

June 17, 2021

Wendy Waldron , the owner of WaldronWorks, is a Professional EOS Implementer®.

By Wendy Waldron

As we build the new normal and reconstruct our economy, let’s take a moment to get back to the basics. Whether you are an owner, foreman, manager or director, there are three things that every leader needs to be doing to make the most of every day. Bring the ABCs to the jobsite.

A – Avoid Busy-ness.

“Quick, look busy, here comes the boss.” It’s so classic it’s almost a cartoon, and yet most of us fall into this trap of “busy-ness” on a regular basis. Is it enough to “keep the guys working?” Well, are they doing profitable work? What do you really know about an office worker’s “production” by walking by their desk? When so many switched to work from home, did you lose a sense of knowing what they were doing?

Do you know what drives the profit in your business? What key activities should be done each week and who is responsible for accomplishing those actions? What are the leading indicators of your future outcomes? What if you paid as much attention to those as you did to the resulting bottom line? Identify the most powerful actions and keep it simple. You need information now, not at the end of the quarter. Maintain a weekly scorecard listing the priority activities, the goal, and who is responsible for making them happen.

B – Boss Mode.

You are not leading a social group or choosing a restaurant for dinner. It’s important to make your expectations known. Imagine that you are coaching a basketball team. It’s your job to clarify the rules of the game. Do you really want all of the players running together in a pack playing offense and defense simultaneously? How can your team deliver if they don’t know exactly what’s expected? Don’t be afraid to use your whistle (or voice) when someone is out of line.

Hunt Real Estate Adds 20 Agents With The Acquisition Of All American Properties

June 17, 2021

From left, Dave Evans, Ted Wilson, Charlotte Potvin and Dave Chambers, pose in the Hunt Real Estate office in Glens Falls. The company recently expanded by acquiring All American Properties.

By Christine Graf

Hunt Real Estate, a company with more than 1,300 sales professionals and 40-plus offices throughout western and upstate New York, recently expanded its Glens Falls office by acquiring All American Properties.

Hunt Real Estate also has offices in Massachusetts and Arizona.

All American Properties was the largest locally-owned real estate company in Glens Falls. Owner Ted Wilson operated the company for 20 years. He and his 20 affiliated agents have transferred to the Hunt Real Estate office at 333 Glen St. Hunt will also take over All American’s Chestertown office and those agents will remain in the current location on Main Street.

The acquisition of All American Properties occurred just one year after Hunt’s acquisition of Century 21 Potvin Realty, a Glens Falls real estate company owned by Charlotte Potvin. In May, she and her 19 agents joined Hunt Real Estate in the Glens Falls office.

According to Dave Chambers, the branch director of Hunt Real Estate’s Glens Falls and Bolton Landing offices, “We’ve done two acquisitions in the past year, and we went from 22 agents to 70 agents. We brought them all into our Glens Falls office in the Travelers building. We’re now remodeling and expanding the office and taking over some more space.”

The larger office is needed as agents transition back to working in the office after being forced to work from home at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Adrian Bautista Named Dean Of Students, Vice President For Student Affairs At Skidmore

June 17, 2021

Adrian Bautista has been selected as Skidmore College’s dean of students and vice president for student affairs.

Bautista will begin in his new role at Skidmore on Aug. 16.

Bautista will serve as a member of the college president’s cabinet, oversee seven direct reports and about 100 divisional staff, and work in close collaboration with the entire college leadership team and in partnership with faculty, staff, and students to cultivate student achievement, responsibility, and leadership.

He will also help lead Skidmore’s efforts to support a diverse and engaged student population as the college transitions to a post-COVID-19 world, and help foster discussions on social justice, mental health, inclusivity, and respect for the views of others.

Bautista has served as assistant vice president of student life at Oberlin College in Ohio since March 2017, coordinating a review and reimagining of its new student orientation program, expediting the division’s development of a mission, goals, and key performance indicators, and expanding emergency fund support for students, among other achievements.

Previously, as Oberlin’s associate dean of campus life from 2004 to 2016, Bautista provided oversight for student conduct, served as a class dean, and functioned as an inaugural coordinator of the division’s Student Help And Resource Exchange (SHARE) early alert system.